What Freshmen Are Positioned To Compete For Starting Roles At Miami?
The Hurricanes brought in a record-setting class with three composite five stars, but who in the class has the best chance to earn a starting role?
Last season, Rueben Bain and Francisco Mauigoa earned Freshman All-American honors to go along with a handful of other freshmen making starts. Looking at the options for this upcoming season, here are some of the names that could possibly earn a starting role:
#1: Zaquan Patterson - Safety
A former-five star recruit who saw his ranking drop towards the end of his high school career at Chaminade-Madonna, Patterson is a hard hitting safety that has shown an excellent ability to tackle in the open field. Looking at his tape there's a lot of James Williams in him, as Patterson can play in the box as well. While there will be some more veteran options competing with him, don't be surprised if it's a Patterson and Mishael Powell combination patrolling the deep third.
#2: Joshisa "Jojo" Trader - Wide Receiver
Playing alongside one of the best high school receivers in recent memory in Jeremiah Smith, Trader probably didn't get the respect he deserved for just how talented he is. While Trader's ideal position would be in the slot, Jacolby George doesn't look like he'll be giving that up any time soon after his performance last season. However, there's been praise going around that Trader has excelled in workouts so far and that's no surprise. He's got elite level ball-tracking for a freshman to go along with a plethora of acrobatic catches on his highlight reel. While Miami's need is for a X-receiver on offense, Shannon Dawson might just be forced to find a way to get the talented freshman on the field.
#3: Justin Scott - Defensive Tackle
As expected, junior Leonard Taylor III departed for the NFL Draft this offseason and opens up a hole at the defensive tackle position. With veteran options in Branson Deen, Thomas Gore, C.J. Clark and Marley Cook, there's no definitive number one option in the room. Insert Scott, the third ranked defensive lineman in the 2024 class. While he won't get the benefit of being an early-enrollee, his physical profile is already collegiate-ready. Scott also is regarded to the same level of recruit Taylor was coming out of Miami Palmetto, so watch out for Scott once he gets on campus this summer.\
To go along with Patterson, Trader and Scott there are a few other freshmen that could get into the mix. Armondo Blount is also an intriguing option on the defensive line, but doesn't have the physical profile of Scott (Blount comes in at 6-foot 3.5 inches and 250 lbs). He'll likely be spending a lot of his time as an early-enrollee putting more mass on.
Miami's top two edge signings will also be intriguing options, as Marquise Lightfoot and Booker Pickett Jr. both saw boosts in their rankings due to their performances in the high school bowl games. However, they'll walk into one of the deeper position groups at Miami to compete against the likes of Rueben Bain, Akheem Mesidor, Nyjalik Kelly and Jayden Wayne. They'll either need to blow them out of the water or get a chance in the case of someone missing time.
At the end of the day, there's no immediate pressure for these freshmen to come in and take over starting spots. However this top three recruiting class has talent that can't be ignored, and Coach Mario Cristobal has shown that he'll play the best player over seniority.
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